(I wish I lived in his district.I got stuck with Connie Mack! Grayson Rocks!
Thanks Spiral for the quick response. - promoted by lamb12)

This happened on the Ed Show. He goes through the Republican madness and debunks their idiotic rhetoric. I listen to this man and it's a breath of fresh air in troubling times.

He points out that we are 50th, just behind Albania, in life expectancy. Then he points out we are dead last in Math score. Is there any wonder we are crippling along? Is there any wonder we are headed into third world obscurity?

I just talked to my neighbors. They are going to have to move. They can't pay their mortgage and like millions of Americans, they can't find work. If the Republicans could just reach across the aisle a little, so much could be done. They realize this though and that's the problem. If the Democrats fix things then the Republicans are doomed to obscurity for a while. They are willing to destroy the lives of American families to prevent this from happening.

Any way, I just had to share.

(I get those "lovely"  letters too. Maybe it's a Florida thing? makes me want to go to The Catholic Church down the street, on a Sunday, run down the aisle yelling, "You are all a bunch of hypocrites, take care of your own house, before you all even think to try and take care of mine"!
Thanks Spiral, Great post!   - promoted by lamb12)

These fuckwads are my new organization to hate. I receive mail from them from time to time and it is annoying. I have asked to be removed from their list and still I get their propaganda. The latest letter I received is a drive to raise money that they have already spent. Now you would think that decent ethical persons wouldn't be spending money they didn't have right? Well, you'd be wrong. They are in debt up to their eyeballs. They are the Catholics who display very graphic billboards of abortions in prominent places. Apparently they don't worry much about how to pay for these billboards until after the fact.
But Spiral you say, how much could these nice decent people have accidentally gone over in their enthusiasm? How about $848, 594.94 in overdue bills!? Ooopsy. I guess they told a wittle lie. Nothing a few Hail Marys can't fix, I'm sure.

Father Frank Pavone runs this little bankruptcy waiting to happen. He also hosts a radio show and posts YouTube videos on how to scare mothers into keeping their babies. You know their trick. If you kill your baby you will burn in Hell forever.

Updated

In the span of about 100 years China has gone from a country of small warring fiefdoms to a world super power rivaling US World dominance. Wars with Japan and Russia took their toll on China around the turn of the century but the Middle Kingdom has bounced back and is positioning itself for world dominance. The cultural revolution was a dark period for China, but it did one thing. It unified a broken and weak nation. Taiwan is the loose end to this unification, and China wants to neutralize US ability to defend her.

The US is still recovering from near full economic collapse caused by many years of Republican economic policy and China is one of the reasons we have remained functional. We owe China $772 billion. That's a lot of money. How much is it? Well we have spent about 1.1 trillion dollars on the war in Iraq. So they have nearly payed all of that bill. All across the nation cities are turning paved roads into gravel roads, teachers are losing jobs, street lights are being turned off. Much of this is happening because Republicans are obstructing progress. While this is happening China is building high speed rail and improving infrastructure. As Rachel Maddow said recently, (I am paraphrasing) "imagine a Chinese business man on a high speed bus straddling traffic reading about roads being converted from pavement to gravel in America". So the US is borrowing vast amounts of money from a communist nation while holding up free market capitalism as the best system out there. There may be a crack in the reasoning here.

China has recently surpassed us in energy consumption. They have been strategically positioning themselves globally for leverage in the world energy market and are in a position of power.

But we have the best military, right? Well perhaps, but China just brought a new hand of cards to the table. They have developed an air craft carrier destroying missile that is accurate up to 900 miles. They can pin point engine rooms, flight decks and other strategic parts of the ship with amazing accuracy. This missile is called the Don Feng. Don Feng means East Wind. Can you feel the change in the wind?

 

This week we take a look at the history and hypocrisy of the Catholic church. First let's look at the root of the word and see if we can find anything there. Catholic comes from the latin cathoicus, the French Catholique, and the Greek katholikos meaning Universal. Further back it's meaning was, more literally "according to the whole."  When we look at it's claim we find that it views itself as, "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church." According to them it was founded by Jesus Christ. The Bishops are the successors to the apostles and the Pope the successor to St. Peter. The Pentecost, when the holy spirit was revealed to the apostles is what they view as the historic beginning of the Church. Beginning as a loose affiliation the church later organized into dioceses that had authority over the faithful in each particular city. The council of the church is said to be infallible. Early on they required adherents to denounce all other gods. This did not sit well with existing Roman religions and they conducted much of their early business in secrecy.  
Because the teachings of the church were wide and varied, despite it's claim of infallibility, Constantine declared it the state religion and councils were held to unify doctrine. I guess God was too busy to just tell them which of the varied rules to follow so it was left to an alleged pagan leader and his council members to decide how to administer the rules. Catholics will claim Consantine converted fully to Christianity, other historians will tell you he did it to unify his nation and only did so because it was the best tool at that time to do it. His conversion might never have even happened at all according to Peter Brown, a very reliable ancient historian. Regardless, it's founding really began the bureaucracy of the religion.  

I signed your card. I'd say take the day off, but I know you can't. Hug your kids. Thanks for working hard in the face of ignorance and hate. Thanks for trying to make the playing field more even for us on the bottom. A lot of us are still out here working to make things better and are glad to know you are there. Please listen carefully to folks like Anthony Weiner and Alan Grayson. They can be great allies. I have to say I am truly sorry that you inherited such a mess, but we are proud of you for trying to clean it up. When you blow out your candles, make that wish count!

Thanks to Still Learning for sharing this with me. I love George Carlin. Growing up he influenced my thinking. He was one of the first people who set me on the path to turning a skeptical eye on things. I was lucky enough to have been exposed to comedians, musicians, writers and artists who did not just accept things. Although I never met this man he has influenced me more than most people I have actually known.

There has been a lot of talk about the undue influence of big business on Government. This has been the norm since I have become politically aware and a quick glance at history will reveal that this is an age old problem. I think that when our founding fathers set up this nation, they tried to avoid a lot of the follies of the past. They were visionaries. The problem with visionaries is that they live in the real world. The real world has a way of turning good things bad. Selfish people are always looking for an angle to get more stuff from those not so selfish. So real world versions of these visions are generally pale ghosts of what great men imagined.

The American Dream is one such ghost. It haunts our minds. It whispers to us of greatness and the rights of all people. It tells us that we can work hard and get ahead. That we can make a difference. Some times this is the case. Often is is not. And as time goes by, we let the corporations co-opt more and more of the dream. They have been whittling away at it for a couple of hundred years. How much of that dream do you feel that you really own? How much of that dream has been ripped from you despite all of your hard work and efforts to prevent it? As Carlin so aptly points out, we do not matter to those with power. We are simply the stones they step on to get where they want to be. And they needn't worry about crushing us. There will always be new stones.

Folks, the American Dream is a nightmare. We live in a nation where all the mechanism are in place for the wealthy to get wealthier and the poor to lose more. We live in a nation where more and more of our rights are disappearing. Soon the only right we will have is to be fodder for corporate machines. The Government has expanded it's ability to "legally" spy on us. Even with the present administration, this has continued under the guise of safety.

Every day we see a Congress in gridlock. Why? Because those in the pockets of corporations will fight any measure to channel any of the American Dream back to the little guy. We see organizations like ACORN ripped apart in smear campaigns for trying to help register voters. Why? Because these voters are a threat to the status quo. We can't have poor people voting because that will shift money and influence away from the corporations. Do you imagine that the death of ACORN did not send a chilling message to others who desire to help? It did. It sent the message, "gather your little items to eek out an existence, but when you try and remove the platinum and diamond encrusted spoon from my mouth, be prepared to perish. Disobedient behavior will NOT be tolerated. Now get back to work."

So tell me I am wrong. Show me your great big American Dream. Convince me this pale ghost of a Democracy has merit. Even Democrats are not immune to the seduction of power and greed. We can vote them out and try to elect progressives. We see how well that is going. Oh, don't get me wrong, I WILL vote. I will try and get others to do so as well. But will we ever be able to see the American Dream as more than vapors and mist?

"It's called the American Dream because you'd have to be asleep to believe it." ~ George Carlin

(I certainly agree! I love this guy! He and Alan Grayson are the best! - promoted by SuzeB1964)

He should set up a school to teach other Democratic members of Congress how to respond to the lies and intimidation from the right that Republicans have gotten away with for so long. My heart welled with pride that he is serving our nation. With a few more like him, I would have even greater confidence in the coming elections. He is aware of procedure and will not be bullied by the blowhards. Democrats need to force Republicans into making their agenda clear and into defending it. That way the American people will see what they are truly up against and who's side these people are on.

When placed against the backdrop of our own galaxy, we are but the faintest speck. Pan out to a Universal perspective and our galaxy itself becomes small. But when looked at in purely human perspective this planet does matter, or so one would think.

When one adds the Christian, or for that matter, that religious perspective to things this existence again shrinks. This brief little moment we call a life is merely a dressed rehearsal or proving ground for eternity.  People ask me what the big deal is about religion? Why can't I be happy to just let people believe what they want to? Religious thinking leads to all kinds of irrational ideas and notions. It takes the focus off of what is real and elevates the imaginary to importance. It diverts one from the very real struggles we face here on the one little insignificant rock we live on. Ask any preacher, priest or clergy what is more important, this existence or your immortal soul. We all know the answer. The focus is not on what is really important. It is on an abstract notion of a make believe land. This is why keeping religion out of the policy making in government is so important. It muzzles rationality in favor of false hopes.  

(Excellent! Great post Spiral - promoted by lamb12)

As tropical storm Bonnie kisses the southern tip of Florida and begins it's two day journey to Louisiana, I can't help but see the similarities between the disasters that have ravaged New Orleans and how Republican policy has wrecked the working poor and the middle class in this country. Like the BP crime, a lot of this could have been avoided by a little foresight. If BP had invested money in blowout preventers and clean up strategies, damage to the fragile wetlands in Louisiana could have been avoided or in the least lessened substantially. Had businesses in our nation not undergone a huge series of deregulations maybe we wouldn't be in the biggest recession in decades.

We have been talking about Free Market Capitalism a lot lately. Many of our most intelligent people believe that this is a system that cannot be sustained for much longer on our planet without dire consequences. I have been watching a very interesting discussion featuring Richard Dawkins, Jane Goodall, and David Attenborough about our planet and what we need to do to survive. It is agreed that the three things that we need to address to survive are poverty, unsustainability, and over population. Our perception of what is important excludes the idea that we need drastic change.

The idea that Free Market Capitalism is the best system has to be destroyed completely before the planet is destroyed. Everyone racing to have as much or more than their neighbors has led us to a point where we live in our own garbage. Scientists estimate that if we are to provide the same standard of living that is average for the people in the US we would need four more planets like Earth.  

So I have two questions:

Given the information that we are on a path to the loss of a habitable planet, are you willing to change your life so totally that we can break the misperception that we need everything we have?

How do you think we can motivate others to follow along?  

It's true! Glenn Beck has opened class! He has no class but he is expecting you to attend his. I know, I know... this is the ultimate oxymoron. The only thing GBU could deliver is a slow tapping off of the knowledge you have accumulated already. There is no way that actual knowledge will emerge from this little misadventure. The thing is though, he is claiming to have three "professors" already. For the time being, GBU is solely an online venture, Hopefully it will stay that way and eventually drift into the obscurity it deserves.

Let's take a look at one of his "professors".

David Barton: This guy is a "white nationalist" and has given speeches on behalf of neo-nazi groups. He is a Christian fundamentalist and criticizes the idea that the nation was founded on the concept of the separation of church and state. I guess it never occurred to this genius that we fled the tyranny of England to get away from the concept of theocracy. He is often described as a psuedo-historian. He has also spoken at white power functions including Holocaust denier's Pete Peters events. This guy alone kind of gives you an idea that the University is on shaky ground.
The other two professors actually teach at real universities. They are James R. Stoner, Jr., and David L. Buckner. Stoner is a Professor of political science at Louisiana State University. Buckner is an associate professor of Psychology and Education at Columbia University.

So Beck has these guys lined up to teach you a thing or two. According to his website he'll be exploring the concepts of Faith, Hope, and Charity. Sounds like he is about ready to start whipping up the faithful for a full on Obama hatefest. According statements on his show the other night, he is very excited about having David Barton on board. He even claims that Barton has almost as many pre 1814 documents as the Library of Congress. If he has this many documents, he must surely be full of the smarts! Unfortunately this guy is real big on using quotes out of context and half truths to further his fundamentalist agenda. Sound familiar? Oh yeah, it's the Republican playbook.

Well if you are interested in a full on downloadable lobotomical experience all you have to do is sign up for Beck's "Insider Extreme" club. Then you will have access to GBU and all it's psuedo-intellectual badness! How much will that cost you? Around $75/year. C'mon now, that ain't much for something that is kind of like education. Re-education is education... right? (nod to Barton's association with neo-nazi groups)  

Noted polemicist, writer, and outspoken atheist Christopher Hitchens announced Tuesday that he has canceled his book tour because of illness. His doctors informed him that he has esophageal cancer and needs treatment. Hitchens has been an outspoken voice for reason in a time when we see the likes of Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, and the whole Teabag Party being given credence in the media. He was promoting his memoir, Hitch22, when he was diagnosed and had to cancel many engagements on short notice.

Here's wishing him a speedy recovery. We need more voices like his right now.

Pope deplores Belgian sex raids, stresses autonomy

The Pope is unhappy that authorities are actually taking sexual abuse claims against Catholic priests seriously. For years the Roman Catholic Church covered up abuse being committed by it's priests in a vast conspiracy going all the way to the top. Now Ratzinger is whining that authorities are actually doing something to help the victims instead of covering up for the criminals. Anyone in the church that was aware of abuse and turned a blind eye is not only a criminal, but a monster. Abuse against children should have a zero tolerance level.

A lot of us have these. There could be something that happened to you personally or something that you witnessed in the context of your church or temple or religious people you know. So what has this great font of compassion, justice and kindness done to you or someone you know? The purpose of this post is not to sing the praises of religion. It is to show the inherit hypocrisy of religion.

I have two little stories to get things rolling.

First the story of the youth minister.

In my mid to late teens I was deeply involved in finding religious "truth." I came at the understanding of Christianity from the peace and love angle. At this point I was starting to read and understand some of the darker parts of the Bible but still had "faith" that there would be some passage to set all the injustices contained in the Bible right. I was involved with the Church of God at the time and there was a youth minister named David who befriended me. David was in his early twenties and his father was a minister as well. David talked about Jesus and compassion. He was very fond of the turning of the other cheek. The concept of redemption was very important to him. He was passionate about all these things and wanted to really pursue this avenue of religious teaching with his own ministry one day. So in the state of mind I had at the time this appealed to me. We had long talks and we discussed some of the problems I had with scripture. A lot of the times his answers were not very good and didn't resolve the moral or ethical problems I had with the text. Sometimes he would even go as far as misdirection. One day he hit me with a bombshell. His sister had been killed by a couple of teenagers. Understandably when he talked about this he became very emotional. One day he was talking about this and he confided in me how if he were ever alone with these bastards, he'd not only kill them, but torture them first. This was very counter to where I was at that time and the hypocrisy of it leaped out at me. This young man who wanted to build a church on the ideas of compassion, forgiveness, and redemption seriously wanted to kill and torture two teenagers. After this event I payed very close attention to the things he said. As time went on I discovered that he also did not like black people and would use off color language when referring to them. Others in this church exhibited the same behavior and I eventually stopped going to this church.

Next we have the story of Father Foley

I worked at a restaurant during my senior year at high school. It was a 5 star establishment and had a fairly wealthy regular group of clients. One was a local Catholic Priest named Father Foley. He would come in and sit at the bar and order a glass of red wine. He'd sip that until someone from his parish came in and invited him to have dinner with him. He'd then order dinner and Manhattans for the rest of the night. He often staggered from the restaurant hours later. It always seemed odd to me that a person who was supposed to hold the secrets of God close to him and actually talk to the big guy would need to become an alcoholic.

Now there were many other incidents like this in my life that, apart from the lack of evidence (which is the main reason I am a non-believer), helped seal my denial of religion. So tell us your story. In my opinion the only way to mitigate the effects of religion on our culture and politics, is to point out it's flaws until they are obvious to anyone who looks. I'd also like to hear from folks of faiths other than Christianity. So tell us your religious horror story.

Especially if he really is intent on upsetting the status quo. While there are areas in which I strongly disagree with the President, I think he is doing a great job considering the mess he was left. Passing ANY kind of Health Care reform was a monumental task. Weening us off of fossil fuels is another big step. Changing the attitude about torture and what the US should do and improving our appearance globally all were big deals. Of course a lot of people who aren't used to dealing with this kind of environment are going to be upset.

I think that's why the Press reports that Obama is beleaguered on all sides. Folks are usually not up for big change. It is uncomfortable. Especially not folks who think they are operating from a point of moral superiority. So we see the GOP fighting Obama at every turn.

I think the latest controversy with General McChrystal is just another symptom of folks not liking the new kid. Obama is a civilian without the ties to the military industrial complex that we witnessed under G. W. Bush. I think he is seriously interested in doing what is right in the Middle East. I do not agree with his decision to stay in Afghanistan, but I know that there are folks who view the War on Terror from very different perspectives. To me it's bloody obvious that you cannot win a war on terror. The concept defies the idea of what terrorism is. Sorry, I digress.

So we have this hardened military man reacting to a civilian President with no financial interest in the military industrial complex. We have seen in the past many incidents of military people sneering at public opinion about particular wars and the strategy for winning them or the idea of withdrawing. I do not know the political leanings of McChrystal, but he smells like a Republican. I think we are simply seeing more Obama hate coming from that side of the isle. Had this man not repeatedly slammed the administration I might think differently. Had this man not been involved in the Pat Tillman cover-up, I might even give him the benefit of the doubt. The problem is this guy doesn't think he has to answer to civilian authority and that's not how we do things in this country. The military code of conduct is quite clear on this:

Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

I would not accept his resignation, I'd court martial him. Military people need to remember we do not live in a fascist state. The Government does not hold power by military force. It's power is derived from the will of the people. When a military leader seeks to undermine that authority he should be dealt with swiftly and definitively.

This is just the latest chapter in the "new kid" effect. We'll see more. That is why President Obama should show strength here. That is why he should bring the full force of law against this insubordinate General. Folks aren't going to give the new kid respect for backing down from a fight. President Obama has called out others in the past for lies. He has criticized corruption and cronyism. It's time for him to send a clear message here. We are a nation of, by, and for the people. We will not accept military bullying.

Two hands working can do more than a million clasped in prayer.

I think we have all heard this sentiment. Judging by the empirical evidence this is undeniably true. There have been studies to see if prayer can even help sick people and the only large scale scientifically executed study showed that prayer can actually be harmful.

So today millions of people around the world will go to church. They will earnestly bow their heads in prayer. Some will even believe the prayer can help. But the bottom line is that there is no evidence that prayer has done any good for anybody.

Just think of the things that could be accomplished if instead of wasting time on archaic fantasies folks spent it on something useful. I know the knee jerk reaction to that idea will be that folks are wasting their time on entertainment such as video games and TV. The difference here is focus. The focus of religion is to allegedly help humanity. Given it's rich history of violence, bigotry, and hate  I think it is safe to say that they have failed to deliver that. Entertainment is simply a diversion.

So think about it. Billions of people around the world claim to hold some faith dear to their heart. Many of those invest substantial effort into a meaningless pursuit. What if instead of wasting time with myths developed by ancient people, they actually volunteered time, or started organizations to help make the world a better place? I think then we would truly see a much better world. We need to see those hands at work not pressed together as if waiting for someone else to do the job.  

With 33% of folks claiming to believe in Jesus of Nazareth, I figured it would be good to look at whether he really ever existed. Then I want to look at his "own words" in the Bible to see if he was the ray of sunshine that everyone assumes he was. People claiming to believe in this person hold powerful positions around the world. That's why it is important politically. From the Pope to President Obama, we have people professing to buy into a myth built on the backs of preceding myths. Truth is, most of the claims about this alleged person leaves me exclaiming Jesus F'n Christ!

33% of the world's population couldn't be wrong, right? Well no, wrong. Almost 100% of the worlds population used to believe the world was flat and that the Universe revolved around it. These folks believed in all kinds of odd creatures. Why is this so different from the religious delusions of today? Well, it's not. Just because most people believe something, does not necessarily make it true.

So Jesus was the first person to have been alleged to be born of a virgin, died and resurrected, and came to deliver mankind... right? Let's look at the history.

There have actually been many resurrection myths throughout history before Jesus ever made the scene. Let's look at just one.

About 2,400 years before the alleged birth of Christ people in Egypt worshipped Osiris. Osiris was known as "the Lord of Love" and offered new life after death. He was supposed to have been resurrected. Also consistent with the Christian myth, Osiris was said to offer immortality after death. Do these things sound familiar? Remember, this is only one myth, coming from the area of the world where the Jesus myth originated. There is a long line of such myths. Many were part of pagan faiths and Christianity borrowed a lot of it's mythos from the pagans. I have included a couple of links for further reading below. There is much information on this concept if you are so inclined to pursue it. I just wanted to point out one popular myth that reflects aspects of Christianity that most folks in the world consider ludicrous now. Perhaps one day we will grow out of the absurd Christian myth as well.

Now let's look at some passages concerning Jesus in the Bible. Let's see if he is the warm cuddly persona that 33% of the world has been led to believe in.

Jesus wants us to castrate ourselves. "For there are eunuchs, that were so born from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs, that were made eunuchs by men: and there are eunuchs, that made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it" - Matthew 19:12 ASV

In Luke 16:17 Jesus says that it's easier for the Heaven and Earth to pass away than for a single law of God to become invalid, yet he is alleged to have gotten God to change his mind about many things. Slavery, ritual sacrifice of humans, rape, murder, incest. All of these things were ordered by the God of the Old Testament, but supposedly Jesus changed all that by becoming a human scape goat. I am not aware of the passing of the Heavens and the Earth.

The Bible is full of quotes in which Jesus informs us that all we have to do is pray and it shall be granted. Matthew 21:21-22, Matthew 7:7-8, Matthew 18:19-20, Luke 11:9-13, and many more. Every day people who are devoutly devoted to Jesus pray and are ignored. Does this make Jesus a liar? Perhaps he is just callous? More likely, he doesn't exist. That would really tie up all the loose ends.

Jesus is nice, right? Mr. warm fuzzy king of peace. Well not according to him.

"Brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death."  Matthew 10:21

Jesus commands us to keep ALL of the laws of the old Testament.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

These are the same laws that advocate slavery, rape, murder, incest and human sacrifice. In the Old Testament we are commanded to kill unruly teenagers, Heck God even sent bears to kill children for calling a monk "bald head" Second Kings 2:23- 24

As you can see, there are reasons to doubt the idea that Jesus ever existed. We have his own words that he is anything but a nice guy, and he even tells us that we are to abide by the barbaric laws of the God of the Old Testament. 33% of the people on the planet believe in this tripe? Well, Jesus Fucking Christ, grow up!

http://rationalrevolution.net/...
http://www.2think.org/hundreds...

Well not exactly. Chemical analysis reveals that hydrogen is being absorbed on this methane rich ice satellite. Some speculate that this could mean that some form of life exists on this distant moon. With temperatures of -290° F any life would have to be colder than Michele Bachmann's heart, and as strange as Sarah Palin's gray matter. Of course more tests have to be done before the scientists are willing to admit what we all know to be true, that there is life on Titan, but I figured we should start prepping them for an introduction to our way of life.

How are we going to teach them about us? Just what will we do to explain the divisions amongst our species. Hell, how do we even let them know that they can't mess with us?

I am suggesting that we bring our best to the fore and try and sugar coat the rest so that they don't perceive us as a lower life form. We don't want them to think that we are a horribly divided push over little planet with nothing to offer the big diverse universe! So Left Takers, let's say hello to the our smelly friends from Titan! These methane based brothers from another place need to know that we are their friends (within reason). Should we tell them that our conflicts overseas are just glorified games or that we aren't polluting our planet so much as creating fun to beat breathing challenges!
C'mon we need to put a positive spin on things! Let's hear your best ideas!

http://www.space.com/scienceas...

Now I know a lot of you are pretty savvy and will immediately say something like, "dude, not all Buddhists believe in a god!" Well rock on you savvy Progressives. Today we remove god from the religion slam altogether.

For those who don't know much about this religion let me give you a quick synopsis. Buddhism is a religion that is based on the idea that to live is to suffer. The goal is to break the wheel of suffering and become an enlightened person. Sounds good so far huh? What is this wheel I speak of? Well here's where we take a dive off the deep end. According to Buddhist tenants we are born, suffer, die reborn suffer, die... You get the idea. Reincarnation! While the thought may be appealing to some, there is no evidence for it first of all. Second of all the concept that you keep going through this until you reach a perfect state of mind and then you break the wheel and reach a state of nirvana. What happens when you finally stop being reborn is kind of iffy depending on which sect you follow, but some say you go to a place roughly translated as "most happy land"

How does one reach this state? Well it seems that what causes suffering is craving. When you desire things you set yourself up to suffer. Uh huh. Well, since Buddhism originated in a country with a caste system it is pretty convenient that the masses believe they shouldn't crave for things don't you think? Let's look at what you are to refrain from doing.

From Wikipedia:

1. To refrain from taking life (non-violence towards sentient life forms), or ahims_
2. To refrain from taking that which is not given (not committing theft)
3. To refrain from sensual (including sexual) misconduct
4. To refrain from lying (speaking truth always)
5. To refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss of mindfulness (specifically, drugs and alcohol)
6. To refrain from eating at the wrong time (only eat from sunrise to noon)
7. To refrain from dancing and playing music, wearing jewelry and cosmetics, attending shows and other performances
8. To refrain from using high or luxurious seats and bedding
6. To refrain from taking food at an unseasonable time, that is after the mid-day meal
7. To refrain from dancing, music, singing and unseemly shows
8. To refrain from the use of garlands, perfumes, ointments, and from things that tend to beautify and adorn (the person)
9. To refrain from (using) high and luxurious seats (and beds)
10. To refrain from accepting gold and silver

Well isn't that convenient? If you were a ruling class trying to keep the poor starving class in line, don't you think this might be kind of a cool gimmick? Not to mention that there are several things on this list that are simply denying people some of the pleasures that make life worth living. So basically you keep yourself poor, eat little, meditate a lot, don't dance or do anything fun and maybe, just maybe you can reach Nirvana. Not to mention that this is built around the false concept of reincarnation so that makes it based on a lie. In my book anything that seeks to limit a person from pursuing happiness in this, the only life they will have, is wrong.

Another tenant of Buddhism is non-violence. I know, it sounds good if you say it fast. Let's look at it though. This type of non-violence is applied toward folks who are doing you physical harm. To me, that is a bad thing. If this were the way good folks operated, sooner or later all that would be left would be those willing to harm and take from those not willing to. The idea to me is repugnant. Bullies must be put down and a non violent person is an enabler of bad behavior. It works it you lock yourself away from society, but not so much when you are witnessing a mugging.

So we have here a religion/philosphy built around an absurd notion called reincarnation. It tells you that to break the wheel of suffering that you cannot want things and should not do pleasurable things. It advocates poverty and excessive non-violence. While not as overtly repugnant as the three Abrahamic religions, it is still not worthy of pursuit by humans. This is perhaps the least harmful of all the religions, but it is still based on lies and it still promotes very bad things.

As far as it's influence on politics goes, it is a very good way to keep a caste system going. Hey if the divide between the haves and have nots in this country gets any worse perhaps it'll become the most popular religion here!

The other day I was reading a diary by thegrouchomarxist and it smacked of truth to me. We really should have a clear definition of what it means to be a progressive. I know, we all have a feeling for it, but what has it meant historically and what does it mean today?

From Wikipedia:

Progressivism is a political attitude favoring or advocating changes or reform. Progressivism is often viewed in opposition to conservative  or reactionary ideologies. The Progressive Movement began in cities with settlement workers and reformers who were interested in helping those facing harsh conditions at home and at work. The reformers spoke out about the need for laws regulating tenement housing and child labor. They also called for better working conditions for women.

In the United States, the term progressivism emerged in the late 19th century into the 20th century in reference to a more general response to the vast changes brought by industrialization: an alternative to both the traditional conservative response to social and economic issues and to the various more radical streams of socialism and anarchism which opposed them. Political parties, such as the Progressive Party, organized at the start of the 20th century, and progressivism made great strides under American presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Lyndon Baines Johnson and current President Barack Obama .

United States
In the United States there have been several periods where progressive political parties have developed. The first of these was around the turn of the 20th century. This period notably included the emergence of the Progressive Party, founded in 1912 by President Theodore Roosevelt. This progressive party was the most successful third party in modern American history. The Progressive Party founded in 1924 and the Progressive Party founded in 1948 were less successful than the 1912 version. There are also two notable state progressive parties: the Wisconsin Progressive Party and the Vermont Progressive Party. The latter is still in operation and currently has several high ranking positions in state government.

Today, most progressive politicians in the United States associate with the Democratic Party or the Green Party US. In the US Congress there exists the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which is often in opposition to the more conservative Democrats, who form the Blue Dogs caucus. Some of the more notable progressive members of Congress have included Dennis Kucinich, Bernie Sanders, Sherrod Brown, John Lewis, and Paul Wellstone.

Liberalism

The term "progressive" is today often used in place of "liberal". Although the two are related in some ways, they are separate and distinct political ideologies. According to John Halpin, senior advisor on the staff of the Center for American Progress, "Progressivism is an orientation towards politics. It's not a long-standing ideology like liberalism, but an historically-grounded concept... that accepts the world as dynamic." Progressives see progressivism as an attitude towards the world of politics that is broader than conservatism vs. liberalism, and as an attempt to break free from what they consider to be a false and divisive dichotomy.[4][5]

Cultural Liberalism is ultimately founded on a concept of natural rights and civil liberties, and the belief that the major purpose of the government is to protect those rights. Liberals are often called "left-wing", as opposed to "right-wing" conservatives. The progressive school, as a unique branch of contemporary political thought, tends to advocate certain center-left or left-wing views that may conflict with mainstream liberal views, despite the fact that modern liberalism and progressivism may still both support many of the same policies (such as the concept of war as a general last resort).

American progressives tend to support interventionist economics: they advocate progressive taxation and oppose the growing influence of corporations. Progressives are in agreement on an international scale with left-liberalism in that they support organized labor and trade unions, they usually wish to introduce a living wage, and they often support the creation of a universal health care system. Yet progressives tend to be more concerned with environmentalism than mainstream liberals[citation needed], and are often more skeptical of the government, positioning themselves as whistleblowers and advocates of governmental reform. In the United States, liberals and progressives are often conflated, and in general are the primary voters of the Democratic Party which has a "large tent" policy, combining similar if not congruent ideologies into large voting blocs. Many progressives also support the Green Party or local parties such as the Vermont Progressive Party. In Canada, liberals usually support the national Liberal Party while progressives usually support the New Democratic Party, which traditionally has had provincial electorial success in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.

And from Georgetown College:

PROGRESSIVISM (1900-1920)

Overview

Progressivism was not so much an organized movement as it was a general spirit of reform embraced by Americans with diverse goals and backgrounds during the early twentieth century (1900-20). Progressives sought the advancement of humanity (progress was defined here in Darwinian terms; i.e., the actually improvement of mankind in an evolutionary sense). Progressives sought advancement through the liberation of human energies and potential from both the fading restraints of past ages and the new restraints imposed by modern industrialism. Progressivism was, thus, both forward-looking and backward-looking in its outlook.

Now I have read bits here and there specifically about Progressivism, but had never really looked for a clear and concise definition. As it turns out it is pretty much how I view things and the idea that it draws specifically on the concept of the evolution of humanity especially appeals to me. It really paints a clear contrast to the ideology of the Conservative party which is firmly rooted in tradition and dogma and is somewhat less than forward looking in scope.

So my question to all of you is this, "Just how Progressive are you"? I mean based on these guidelines where do you fall? I am including a poll, but I'd love to hear your thoughts as well. I'd say I am in the 90-100% range. I am a big, mushy, help people type of guy. I believe in unions and think their benefits far outweigh their shortcomings. I believe that as we make new discoveries and learn new things we should adjust our ways of dealing with the new information as a society. So now you know what I think. Please tell me what you think!